The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
The Effectiveness of Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Bereaved Persons: A Comprehensive Quantitative Review
Authors:
Currier, Joseph M.
Niemeyer, Robert
Berman, Jeffrey S.
Source:
Psychological Bulletin: 2008, 134(5), pp. 648-661.
Summary
This article describes a meta-analysis of 61controlled studies of bereavement interventions. The overall analysis showed that while the interventions produced a small effect immediately following treatment, no significant long-term benefits were found. The authors note, however, that interventions targeting individuals with specific difficulties adapting to loss compared favorably with general psychotherapeutic interventions in terms of effect size. The authors also note that many of the measurements used in the controlled studies relied on measures of psychopathology or general functioning, and may not have captured elements of functioning relevant to grief and adaptation to bereavement. In addition, there was an absence of measurements related to posttraumatic growth. The authors conclude that the majority of existing studies do not provide sufficient information to provide an appropriate evaluation of bereavement interventions, and recommend that future studies focus on measuring a range of therapeutic outcomes.
Key Words: intervention, measurement, growth, posttrauma, research
Service Provider Implications
Service providers may benefit from understanding that targeted interventions designed for specific bereavement problems appear to be more beneficial than a universal approach to bereavement interventions. Service providers and researchers can improve the usefulness of bereavement studies by examining a wider range of therapeutic outcomes, including measures of posttraumatic growth.
